From Heaven to Hell
by UbEr-d00d
Summary: A group of heroes clash the Zerg, Protoss, and even other Terrans in the name of the Confederacy. But to survive the harshes of this intergalactic war, they must also over-come their own personal agendas...Chapter 2 and a Character Synopsis Released! R
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

_Character- Unknown_

**_I_**t turned out everything went wrong. My breathing increased as explosions sounded off and huge pieces of cement flew past me. My heartbeat was so loud I was afraid someone would hear it.

Or better yet something....

I couldn't believe this was happening. My brain was trying to block out all the images of what could happen to me. And it wasn't pretty. Being torn to shreds is never pretty. Not by a creature or even a human being.

But it was all happening. The infestation was growing worst and worst by the second. As I stand here in fear against this wall I knew that those creatures grew in numbers by the milli-second. That was their specialty. With every one they loss, they seemed to have double to replace their old comrades.

In-human cries mixed in with some mortal cries. Another explosion sounded and rock and other sorts of debris splashed down from the roof, hitting the tiled floor below me.

I had to get out of here and fast.

I poked my head around the corner and saw what was left of my current lab. I shook my head in disappointment, almost ready to cry over all my papers being burned to nothing. All evidence of everything I had done is now gone, lost forever. It would take years to replace what I've done so far.

But I wouldn't have those years if I didn't move NOW.

The coast seems clear so I bolted across the room, hopping over the huge chunks of the broken roof that had fallen. I ran out the door, into the familiar halls. Dead bodies were piled on top of another, faces showing extreme signs of pain. Blood covered the walls, making it hard to see the paint. It was like walking down a hall straight to hell.

Only this was all real, and the pain was very much real.

Gun shots sounded off not too far away. My safety could be at hand if I could only reach the marines. I ran as quickly as my legs would take me. I wasn't made to do so much physical activity; I was definitely going to be sore tomorrow if there is a tomorrow.

My ears were beginning to ring from the over-excessive noise going on around me. But it wasn't hard to recognize a creature's caw from behind me. I didn't want to look, but out of instinct I did.

I wish I hadn't.

**Author's Note- Hey, welcome to my story. This is only the prologue, and I am currently working on Chapter 1. If you're asking why it says "Character Name" Up top is because this story is going to cycle through 1st POV with the main chars. Please Review! I take bad comments and good comments, I will only learn from your advice! Thanks!**


	2. Character Synopsis

_From Heaven to Hell_

Character Synopsis

_Justin Schilling _- Justin is a young man who is confused with what he wants to do with his life. He was born into a middle-class family that was decent and well-rounded. His best friend moved into his family-life when some tragedy occurred to the Stubbs Family.

Although his family revolved around military life, Justin dislikes it. He wants to do something else with his life besides being ordered around. Justin is an optimistic being with a sense of humor and right and wrong. He gets along with others well and is well-liked.

_Matthew Stubbs_- Good-natured inside, but hard-boiled on the out. He has a tendency not to trust people due to a horrible incident in his past life. Matt is your average tough, hard-ass. He is a best friend of Justin, and even though the two have been friends longer then they can remember, he still won't trust Justin with the tragedy of his life. Hard-working, Matt dreams of being a pilot like his dad was. Matt has a problem with his temper and arrogance. He is currently working on becoming a pilot for the Air Force Confederacy.

_Anthony Perriello_- A Corporal in the Confederacy Army, Tony's past is shaded. Everyone calls him the "killer" due to a rumor that he had killed his family. He is in his middle 30's, with already bad signs of aging due to stress. He was proven semi-guilty, and was forced to serve time under the Confederacy Marines as penalty. Tony seems to show no emotion to anyone, but is a ferocious killer on the battlefield. He is brilliant in war tactics, and is the second-in-command to Crennan's squad. He usually carries a plasma flame-thrower.

_Marc Schilling_- Justin's younger, yet bigger brother. Marc is the stereotypical annoying brother. Before Mar Sara is destroyed, Marc was sensed on Confederacy's Psi Radar for Psychic abilities to become a Ghost. He was taken away, and whether he is still alive is a mystery.

_Robert Migliore_- Rob is a normal civilian who was declared a VIP by the Confederacy. The marines don't know why it's important to protect him, but they find it annoying that he has no fighting capabilities. Though defenseless, Rob is a noble man who does only what he thinks is the right thing to do. He usually always has a smile on his face and tries to help out anyone in need. He is highly intelligent in engineering aspects, including computers and medicine.

_Sgt. Thomas Crennan_- the Sgt. Of one of Duke's Omega Squadron's, he is basically all for the mission. He takes little notice of people's needs and focuses on what needs to be done. Tom, lately, has been succeeding with all his missions and has become one of the most successful Sergeants in the history of the Confederacy. He would be a tactical general by now if he only went to school longer. As enlisted, he is stuck at his lowly position of a Squad Sergeant, and he definitely takes it out on the people.

_Lt. Carolyn Piassek_ – When first meeting her, you can tell she is one of the most caring people in the world. When she was born she always wanted to become a doctor to save lives. Her family was poor, however, and the only opportunity to fulfill her dreams was through the military. After years of schooling, she became a medic and has saved countless numbers of lives in her 2 year service to the Confederacy. Carolyn doesn't have good relationships with guys, for she fears that if she lets one in, it will contradict with her well gained career.

_Colonel/General Edmund Duke_- The well known commander of the best squadron on the history of the Confederacy, Duke is a man worth his honor. He tends to be impatient and arrogant, but these personal problems haven't taken effect on the military missions. He is the leader of the Omega Squadron.

_Admiral Jacob Goodman_ – Duke's second-hand man. Goodman seems to be more patient then that of his boss. He has a quiet, good natured persona about him. He handles most problems inside the Omega unit, actually talking to the men rather then delegating the order. He is well respected by the Confederacy Marines, and is well favored over even that of Duke.


	3. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

_Character- Justin_

The sky was just a pure beauty. I couldn't explain in words on how I felt when I looked up at those white, fluffy clouds. The sun shone like no other day. Everything seemed to be in the right place. The grass was greener then normal; there wasn't a sign of death in sight.

I ran across the meadow. No, running wasn't the words. It was prancing, singing, enjoying my life! I pranced all the way down to a cliff, hearing the water rushing down below. It was so clear, probably crystal. I was so intrigued that I had to jump off and dive. Down I went, the wind blowing back my brown hair, the bangs coming away from my eyes.

But it all ended abruptly, the clouds changed from peaceful white to black and satanic. Lightning flashed, almost blinding me. The area around me changed suddenly, and I was no longer falling. I landed painfully on my face onto not green grass, but blood covered dirt. I gasped in horror and swiftly sprang to my feet, checking my new surroundings. What the fuck was going on?

And then I saw something run at me. Was it human? No, definitely not for it was on all fours, and it sure wasn't a dog. From even here I could see green drool coming from its sharp fangs, its claws leaving a large trail behind it as it kept coming towards me now even faster. My body was frozen with fear, my jaw hitting the ground.

It stopped, now in front of me. It shrieked ferociously and stood up on its hind legs. From far away it looked like the size of a normal dog, but from here it was now even taller then me. It towered me in fact, for it was 8 feet tall. It had hard scales on the outside, almost seemingly in-penetrable. Its stomach was covered in softer scales, little sharp hairs sprouting from the pores. Its claws were the size of my arms, able to rip through a human being in less then a minute.

Its blood red eyes stared deep into my brown eyes, sniffing the air. It smelled my fear. My mind told me to run, but my body wouldn't budge. Suddenly, the creature's mouth opened in a wide scream and it raised one massive claw and swiped across my chest.

I woke up at that moment, screaming. My body was covered in sweat, and I was shaking so bad I was afraid the bed would break. Finally, I realized it was all a dream and had to take a few minutes to calm myself.

"What a gay dream!" I exclaimed, checking the time as I did. "Was I....prancing? Who the fuck does that?"

I tried to totally disregard the creature I saw in my dream. Although on the outside I showed no fear of any sort about it, the whole thing just kind of gave me the chills. I'd much rather not remember that part.

But what did it all mean? Somehow it seemed so in place, so in place I couldn't even place my finger on it.

I swung my legs off to the side of the bed, stretching my arms first and yawning. My body felt like one giant wet rag, I needed a shower. I brushed a hand through my thick, now greasy brown hair. It was kind of getting long, due to the lack of a haircut for 6 months. I liked the style though, even though my mother and father would yell at me every waking moment about it.

"Justin Schilling! Get a haircut you hippie!" My dad would shout jokingly. I thought it was always funny.

I got up and looked at myself in the mirror, half nude with only a pair of boxers on. I examined myself, starting with my body. It was pretty average, not really muscular but a bit bulky. I wasn't necessarily fat, but I did have a mini gut from drinking. Everyone gets one, so whatever.

I curved my arms and made muscles, continuing to check for anything out of place. I winked at the image of me.

"So, any of you ladies ordered a side of Justin Schilling?" I said in a confident voice.

That was when I heard someone burst out in laughter. I quickly turned my head to my doorway and saw my friend standing there, almost ready to roll around on the floor. He had short, blonde hair that was almost made into a crew cut. He was definitely taller then me, me standing only at the full height of 5'10 while he was towering me with 6'3. He was starting to show curves of muscles through his military outfit, since the white shirt he had was on tightly. A patch bore the symbol of the Confederacy where his heart lies.

He was decked out in camouflage pants and combat boots, the typical trainee outfit for any military branch. He suddenly stopped laughing and stared at me with piercing, blue eyes.

"You couldn't get laid if the girl was paid" he said bluntly.

My face was now flushed red, embarrassment flew throughout my body. Matt was the typical, hard-working bad ass. I couldn't ever understand why. He lives with us, due to his parents passed away. How? I was never told that. I was a little young when he moved in with me, about 4. I can't even believe I remember that.

He joined the military, always dreaming of being a pilot. His father was made into a legend cause of his piloting skills, the tale being he shot down many enemy fighter planes and holding 3rd in the record of the world of so many kills in air. I guess Matt just wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, like that saying goes "Like father, like son".

What am I doing here on the planet of Mar Sara? Well, I hold the most extraordinary job of them all! The fry cook of Happy Burger just down the road from me.

Unlike my best friend, I prefer more laid-back pace. I couldn't live two seconds in the military, and I admit it. I'd rather have a job and come home and relax. I haven't even gotten into a college yet. My decision of having a year break from school ended up going on for two years. My parents aren't too happy about that.

"Don't you know how to fucking knock, jolly green giant? Oh, let me minus the jolly part!" I replied with a smile. I saw the anger build up in his eyes, so I quickly started again before my ass was grass. "Oh calm down, you know I'm kidding"

"Yeah, well fuck you man...I'm going to go DO something with my 24 year old life and go to the military base and STUDY." He turned and started heading down the stairs.

"HEY! 20 AND WORKING AS A FRYCOOK AIN'T TOO BAD!" I shouted after him, but he just shook his head in return and kept walking on.

I didn't even bother to follow and prove my point, we always argued like this. It was what friends did, not to mention we were best of friends. I left the mirror and slipped through the doorway towards the bathroom....

TO FIND IT WAS OCCUPIED!

I knocked on the door furiously to overcome the sound of rushing water from the shower. I wanted the person inside to hear me. And he sure did.

"Jus, I'm in here!" my brother shouted. I just sighed.

"Well hurry up! I got work at 2:30!"

"It isn't my fault you slept till 1:30!" my brother retaliated, the shower not even turned off yet.

I shook my head and then dashed down the stairs, my hand on the railing to keep my klutzy self from tripping and rolling down to my doom. I strolled into the kitchen, opening the cabinets and poking my way around for something to eat. I heard someone approach me from behind.

"Justin, we need to have a talk, father to son...or man to man if you prefer" I heard my dad's deep voice ring out.

I didn't turn my head from the cabinets. "Yeah dad, what's up?"

"It's about how you're leading your life Justin..." there was a long pause. I didn't even stop to turn to look at him. He cleared his throat and started again. "You don't seem to be motivated to do anything. You've lived at home for all your life and you still work at Happy Burger. Don't get me wrong, it's an OK job. But don't you think you should head out for something...bigger?"

"What's wrong with $8.00 pay?" I asked, pulling out a bagel and heading over to the refrigerator.

"Well, for being a 20 year old young man, there's a lot wrong with it, sorry to say son. Your mother and I have spoken about the issue last night...and we have come to a conclusion that we want you to join the military."

This stopped me dead in my tracks. For the first time today I turned around and looked at my pop with the most disgusted expression on my face. Did I just hear him correctly? Did he just ask me...to join the military!? I could see dad's frown, even through his thick beard. I kept my cool though.

"You're kidding, right? I told you I was going to go to college after the end of this year" I was trying to sneak my way out of the only option I dreaded.

"Justin, your Mother and I think it's a good idea" he rubbed his chin.

I heard the bathroom door upstairs open. SANCTUARY!!!

"Well dad, this was a great conversation. Just remember, I AM 20, and I DO make decisions for myself now that I am a MAN" I gave my dad a pat on his shoulder and then jogged up the stairs. From even upstairs I could hear my old man sigh wistfully.

Two hours later I found myself in the most hated place I could think of, Happy Burger. In the back of the shack all that could be seen was me busting my ass to please the customer's every needs. It was basically just kissing ass if you ask me. I would flip burgers and if one thing was wrong, who was the one to blame? Of course it was me. Hours passed by seemed like decades. I was finally fed up about everything, and decided to make my dad proud....

When my hour shift was over I was sitting outside in the parking lot on top of my car. It wasn't a very good car, it broke down most of the time but it was always good at getting me from point A to point B. I was thinking about having a cigarette, but I quit that 4 years ago and bringing it back wouldn't do me any good.

So there I sat on the hood of my car, just checking out the clouds in the sky. It was so peaceful out here. I saw some blinking lights overhead, which was pretty unusual. But I just took it that it was the confederacy battle-cruisers and wraiths that were patrolling the orbit around Mar Sara.

I was just about ready to hop into my vehicle when I saw a figure pop out from the woods ahead. I squinted my eyes to help me see better. It was definitely human, and he was running at a very fast pace. When he got closer, I saw that his clothes were torn and beaten, and he had dry blood stains all over his body. I hopped off the car to greet him but he tripped and fell, landing on my car for support.

"I saw them!" he panted, barely able to stand up.

"Whoa, man calm down. What are you talking about?" I quickly passed this guy off as crazy.

"Monsters I tell you!" he shouted. People that were heading towards the fast food restaurant heard him and started staring our way. I began to feel uneasy, my face flushing red. My next instinct was to calm him down.

"Calm down, dude. You came from the woods, you could have saw a critter or-"

He grabbed the collar of my work shirt and slammed me up against the car. He came face to face to me, and I could smell that his breath reeked of alcohol. His hair was ruffled and greasy, and his face was covered in dirt. His eyes were blood-shot like he was awake all night, or drugged up. "Weren't you listening!? There's a monster out there! He killed my other two friends! I am NOT crazy, call the police!"

Apparently someone already had, and thought that HE was the monster. Two police officers grabbed him from behind on each shoulder, ordering him to get down. They didn't even give him a chance to follow, one officer taking out his tazor gun and shocking the hysterical stranger. His body jolted with electricity and he stopped struggling, falling on his face on the concrete. As one officer started handcuffing the now unconscious man, the other turned to the growing crowd.

"Nothing to see here, move along ladies and gentlemen." The people saw that the action was over, so they started to flow back into the restaurant. He turned to me. "You can move along too, civi"

"Civi" was a short, negative term for civilians. It was usually used by marines, but ever since the Confederates moved in to keep law and order on our planet, other law patrons used it too. I raised my hands, shaking my head "No problem, officer. Sheesh" He shot me a dirty glare as I jumped in my car to get away from this nonsense.

On the way home I kept thinking about what that guy was saying. His image kept popping into my thoughts, on how he was beaten and ripped up and bleeding. Maybe he was out partying with his friends, but I doubt any drunken people would tear him up like that. Not even a human with skilled knife-work could cleanly cut him up like what I saw. ESPECIALLY not drunk people.

I shook my head. Why was I worrying about this? The man WAS drunk, he could have been hallucinating. His blood-shot eyes could have been from a drug usage. Marijuana-usage was a big problem on Mar Sara, since law enforcements couldn't keep track of all the fields, it was easy to crop and sell without getting busted. Many people were arrested for turning themselves in for hallucinating, however. Scientists had informed the citizens that the weed here on Mar Sara was ten times stronger then that on Old Earth, just because the soil was healthier for the plants to grow.

I tended to stay away from drugs. I was more of a drinker....

And damn, could I go for a drink!

I parked my car in its usual spot in the driveway. Of course, it really didn't matter since all the cars floated at least 10 feet off the ground. Getting out wasn't the problem. It was sort of a respect thing; the man of the house gets to have his car in the front of everyone else's so he can get out the easiest. I remember when I first parked my car behind my dad's; he got so mad at me. I was, in fact, grounded for a day from driving because of it. Respect is a bigger thing now then it ever was back then...Especially if your parents were in the military. My family had a long trace of the military, on both sides. I am the only kid in my generation since 20 years that might be breaking the chain of not joining. My dad was a computer technician. He worked with radars, helping to detect nuclear launches to help prevent them.

I just didn't see it fitting me. I didn't want to get yelled at for what to do. I wanted to be able to do anything with my own free will, not by someone barking orders at me. I know that doing this would make my family hate me forever, dislike me, and even become the black sheep of the family. But that's better then selling my mind and body to the confederacy...

But I fixed the problem that my dad was talking about. I will make him proud today. I dragged my tired feet up my porch and into my house, placing my work hat on the living room couch. I took my shirt off, my body slick and shiny from the newly acquired sweat. I hated my job so much.

I waltzed into the kitchen, usually at least finding my mom there. But she was no where to be found, which was extremely odd. I saw a big piece of yellow paper hanging on the fridge, so I snatched it and read it:

_Dear Family,_

_I have went food shopping, there is barely anything left! I can't believe I live in a house with a bunch of grown pigs! I'm just kidding, I'll be back later! I love you guys!_

_-Mom_

Awesome! I was wondering when my mom would go shopping. I was a big binger, and I really wasn't home for any of my mom's good 'ol cooking. I usually munched on those "Meals-Ready-To-Go" thingies. They weren't great, but they held me over many times.

I heard the TV sound off effects from that of something of a video game....my brother. I went into down the stairs into the basement and found him sitting in front of the TV, eyes glued while he jammed on the buttons of his game controller.

Marc was my annoying little brother. He was sort of big, bigger then me in weight and body height. He was a little slow in his agility, but he was pretty strong. I remember countless number of times when we would fight and he would win. People made in fun of me because he beat me up when we argued. He had long brownish blond hair that covered the top half of his eyes. I always wondered how he saw through his hair.

He was the only person in the world that could make me angry, and so easily too. He just did stupid little petty things that irritated me, and I haven't gotten used it through his 16 years of existence.

"What's up asshole" he stated, not looking away from the T.V.

"Nothing much, dirt bag. Where's-"

"He's in the garage"

He didn't even wait for me to finish. "Yeah...uh, how did you know that?" I passed through a doorway into my dad's computer room. He wasn't there.

He stammered at first. "Oh, well you always come home looking for him...got natural ya know?"

"Whatever"

I left my brother playing video games and went outside, heading around back to where our garage was. I opened the door and there he was, working on some car part like he usually did in his spare time.

My dad was a genius with this stuff. He was able to fix cars, computers, and even hack into some stuff. I always insisted I wanted to learn, but I was always too lazy or bored to start. My dad always said that someday some of this stuff may come in handy, and he wouldn't be around forever to teach me.

"Hey Dad" I walked around him towards the fridge he kept out here too.

"Hey Justin" my dad said quietly, almost sounding sad.

"I thought about what you said earlier, about not getting a good job and stuff." I opened the bottle of water and swigged some of the liquid. It felt good going down my dry, scratchy throat.

My dad turned from what he was doing, his eyes twinkling almost. He sounded a lot happier this time. "You did?"

"Yeah, pops. I went right up to my boss in Happy Burger and I was standing in his office and all," I animated with my body to explain my story as I went along, "I was like 'you know what, Harry? I am sick of my lowly pay and horrible working conditions.

I want something better'. I was looking at him straight in the eyes and everything."

"Yeah?" My father had a sense of proud ness in his voice.

"I demanded a 25 cent raise! And I got it! I am now making $8.25 an hour instead!" I looked at my dad as if I won a war. He just stared blankly back at me. "Isn't that great!?"

"Justin, that wasn't what I was talking about...."

"I know Dad, it isn't the best of things, but it still is better then $8.00. I'm gonna go see what Matt is up to at the military base. Catch ya later, pops!" I patted him on the shoulder and left him there before he could reply.

After putting on a different set of clothes, I decided to walk to the military base. I was already low on jet fuel. The cars don't operate on gas anymore, but fuel that is used for airplanes such as wraiths and valkyries. It was about 7:30 PM when I got outside to head to the military base. It wasn't far off anyway, Matt walked there everyday. He insists it's good exercise, and that I was getting a bit chubby. So, I guess this works out for the atmosphere and me.

The stars were out, shining brightly and lighting up my path. The blinking lights I saw earlier were still there, but again I shrugged them off. Confederacy ships kept close watch with high-tech cameras up there. Speed chases were no longer a problem if the officer lost track of the criminal. The battle-cruiser's cameras could see a penny off the ground if they really wanted too.

A couple miles down the road I found myself at the Confederacy military base. It was the heart of their operations. There were other small base camps along the planet of Mar Sara, but in the middle of our Colony was the biggest. This one even had its own air port. Often jets landed and took off from here when doing its duties. This is also where the air pilot trainees trained. Trainees hustled about to get to their next classes all day, and usually the classes ended at 5 P.M. I found it odd that Matt had stayed longer. Maybe a class was delayed and was put up later?

Nah, knowing Matt he is still studying. He'd sit in a class for hours and study, study, study. I couldn't keep my attention on a school subject for long. High school was one thing not to study for, but I knew outside of High school things got tougher. Not studying wasn't an option, and I was afraid of that. Something Matt was better at, persistency.

But I really didn't care. I looked at life as having fun, joking around, and taking things at your own pace. Matt just liked to take it one step ahead.

The base was still open for a reason I didn't know. Two marines blocked the main entrance, both carrying Gauss Rifle machine guns. That was the basic rifle for a marine. The strongest of its kind, it spat out 13 mm pellet rounds that could tear the bark off a tree. It made me shudder of what it could do to a human being. The weapon was so big that it had to be held by two hands! A normal human being without a CS (Combat Suit) couldn't lift the thing up.

The CS was what the marines were wearing. People in enlisted ranks wore the basic CS200, which had the basic necessities (mainly the strength to hold the gauss rifle). The armor was thick, protecting the soldier from most attacks. Of course, with the advancement of armor also came the advancement of weapons to pierce the armor.

When I approached the entrance of the base I felt the cold-blooded eyes upon me. The bright light above the door was shining, forcing me to shield my eyes. One marine was smoking and the CS was filtering the smoke through the ventilation system, the smoke disappearing into the atmosphere. The rifles clicked in their hands when they talked.

"Who are you, civi?" the one on the left sneered.

"Oh, well, uh, I am just here to see my friend. He's a trainee in the facilities" These marines made me nervous.

"Well we need to pat you down. Sorry, government orders and law" the one on the right placed his rifle on the dirt. He came to me, patting down my already shaking body. At any moment I dreaded the thought of him knocking me down and blasting me with his rifle. Fortunately he lifted his gun back up and turned to his friend. "He's clean"

"Alright, civi. Place closes in an hour so make hast will ya?"

I walked into the building as fast as I could, wanting to get away from those blood thirsty marines. The air was cooler then outside, refreshing me. The place was pretty empty, so then I guessed right about Matt studying late. After a few hallways I came up with room 110, the study room.

I peeked through the window of the door and saw his tall figure jotting down notes in the book. I quietly opened and shut the door, creeping my way behind him. I was about to scare him when he turned around and pointed a 9mm handgun at my face.

"Boo" He had a victory smile on.

"Alright, alright you got me! Put that thing away!" I lightly punched his arm. "How could you sit here and study for an extra 2 hours? I'd be so bored with that stuff dude"

He holstered his gun in his pocket and went back to writing down notes. "It's easy...I want to be a pilot so I work. Shouldn't you be flipping burgers or something?"

"Very funny" I laughed. "Hey, get this! My dad tried telling me to join the army or something right? He wanted me to go somewhere in life. So I went to my manager today and I was like, 'yo, I am going to quit if you don't give me a raise!' so he raised me 25 cents. Ain't that awesome?"

My friend stopped writing and stared at me blankly like I grew a second head. All that could be heard was the clock ticking. "You're a loser!"

That's when I realized how lowly my accomplishment was. "Well, it ain't that bad..."

"When you're twenty and working in fast food for $8.25 it's sort of sad" he said yet again more bluntly.

I started to play with the fake human skeleton. I moved its jaw as I mouthed the words, "Not all of us are perfect like Matthew Stubbs"

"I'm just one in a million" he cracked at his own joke that I didn't think was funny. I was about to go see what he was writing when the place shook. Gun fire whistled in the air and it made Matt and I both jump. "Hey did you hear that?"

I wiggled my finger in my ear as if cleaning it out. "Sorry, what was that? OF COURSE I HEARD IT!"

Dead silence.

Suddenly people began screaming. Something un-human bellowed from outside the room. Matt whipped out his 9mm. He cocked it and began moving towards the door.

"You're a soldier and all they give you is a 9mm?" I scoffed.

He didn't turn to me but instead was ready to open the door. "I don't see you holding anything"

He opened the door and jumped outside, aiming his gun where he looked. First he faced right, then to the left.

Another explosion.

The explosion caused the room to shake violently. Glasses holding animal body parts fell and broke on the floor. Airplane models fell from the ceiling, one nearly hitting myself. I lost my balance, tripped over the fake skeleton model. I fell fast, hitting my head on the end of the desk on the way down. I hit the floor faster then I could think.

Everything spun. The light suddenly got brighter, and then everything faded...

**Author's Note- First Chapter Released! Yay! I know it's kind of long and may be boring but hey, it's the first chapter! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

_Character- Justin_

Everything was black at first until my brain told me to open my eyes. All I could see was a cyclone, a blur of the white lights from above. For a second I thought I was going to heaven. The sounds from reality played in slow motion through my ears. I couldn't make out what was what.

I flipped onto my stomach like a slug. Although my vision was nowhere near normal, the red liquid on the ground caught my eye. I brought a shaky hand to my head, feeling the hot liquid.

Blood...

I grunted, crawling my pain towards the nearby stool Matt was sitting on earlier. My hand clenched over the peg, more moans escaping my lips in efforts to release the grief.

The place shook again in effort to try to knock me over again. But what the building didn't know was that I was already lying on the ground.

I climbed my way up on to the stool, the pain increasing with each movement. It felt like someone was taking a sledge hammer and smashing the side of my skull. It was like waking up from a really bad night of drinking

I finally sat my ass down, staring at the ground and rubbing my bloody head. It took a few minutes for my breathing to settle down and my eyes to start adjusting.

After I felt like I wasn't going to puke up my meal from Happy Burger, I stumbled my way over to the door where I last saw Matt. He couldn't have gone far. But it seems that the time passed was longer then I expected.

My eyes darted at all the blood on the wall, the paint barely standing out from the massive red stains. Even the tiles on the floor was smothered in blood, some red and some an irregular blackish color.

Marine bodies were scattered across the hallway. Every face was twisted in a face of agony. It seemed that none of these soldiers had a quick clean death, but rather a long and painful one. I took my steps carefully, trying not to slip on the blood or trip over a body.

One marine under my feet had his innards torn out. The blood was still leaking, the head torn off to save me from seeing his face. My throat felt scratchy and I was ready to barf up my dinner. I raised my hand to cover my mouth and somehow managed to keep it all down.

But being my klutzy self I lost my footing. Down I went, increasing the damage to my body. I felt my back become wet and warm from the blood underneath me. I turned my head.

And saw the face of a monster!

Its teeth were as large as a normal sized dagger. Its eyes, red and unblinking, stared right back at me. Its shell was a dark brown color with little hairs poking through the pores. Its long slender body filled the width of the hallway, so big was it that it almost curled up in a ball. I yelped out of fright and began scrambling my way back. It didn't move but just kept staring at me. It had claws the size of my arms and had four legs. It looked small from here, but I could tell that it was at least seven to eight feet tall. It took me a few minutes to realize that this was dead.

But my relief ended quickly when I heard a screech down the hallway. I turned my head and saw the same exact creature, but this time very much alive. It stared at me for a second or two, sniffing the air. Panicked, I tried to grab the nearest rifle from one of the dead marines. I knew I should have lifted more. My efforts were no good, I couldn't life the weapon. In order to do so I would need the help of the CMC's those marines wore. My desperate eyes looked back to where the creature was standing. It gave out one last battle cry until it came charging down after me.

Now frantic, I scrambled to my feet and dashed down the hall way, sliding across the blood and using it as a speed advantage. Unfortunately, the creature ran like a cheetah and was already right behind me. My head pounded harder, my legs feeling like rubber. I had to keep going. I turned around a corner, my feet making a sickening plop with each running step I made in this bloody hallway. I looked over my shoulder and saw the creature dart around the corner. Its long tail made a long scratch mark on the nearby wall.

Even from this distance I could hear the creature panting, trying to release all its energy to catch me. It would turn me into one of those monstrosities that were once marines. I put more energy into running, and less worrying. My breathing became heavier as oxygen seemed hard to salvage into my lungs.

I looked over my shoulder one last time to see the creature pounce into the air. My eyes widened in deep fear as the shadow blocked out the light. Suddenly, a powerful hand grabbed me by my shoulder and yanked me, sprawling me out on the floor. The creature's claws just missed me swiping the air. I heard a loud crack followed by a scream of agony from the beast.

Adrenaline still pumping, I jumped to my feet to see another human being there. He was dark in skin color, bald on the head. He was wearing the camouflage pants with the trainee Confederacy shirt. Obviously he was a want-to-be pilot too. My mouth opened up to speak but he gestured a finger to his lip to keep me quiet. I heard a couple of scratches as if someone was digging a knife into the floor from the hallway.

"Quick, hide!" his voice was a raspy whisper. I didn't need to be told twice. There was a lab counter against the far wall with a confederacy flag hanging in front of it. I leaped into the counter and planted myself behind the flag. I heard a locker open and then shut.

The scratching sounds reached the room. I dared not look. It had to have been that creature. The beast growled in frustration, for its sense of smell told it that there were humans in the room, but its eyes were lying to him. I had to keep a hand over my mouth to slow down my breathing to keep silent.

I could see the faint shadow of the creature through the silky flag. One of the creature's fore-arms was limp. It hung there, the sinew and bones poking through the hard shell. It must have been broken when the creature fell on the floor trying to pounce me. I kept still, motionless. I saw the shadow move around in the room, knocking desks and trash cans over. Papers fluttered about the area as it continued its investigation. After moments of tearing the place apart and still not finding a human, the creature turned to exit.

A sigh of relief escaped from my lips. I poked my head from behind the flag and saw the tail still hanging through the doorway. A sneeze escaped from within the locker.

The creature responded. I looked at the locker across from me. I saw the creature take its single claw and rip right through the metal. The trainee that was hiding screamed in pain, not dead from the attack. The door fell off and I saw the black man bleeding immensely, staggering to get out. The creature cawed in delight thrusting its claw again into the torso of the man.

The creature dragged him out, helpless. He screamed for help. He knew I was still here, but I was too afraid to come out of hiding. What was I going to do, piss on it to death?

My eyes watched with grotesque horror as the man's head ripped off into the creature's massive jaws. I could hear the creature chewing through the bone easily, swallowing and taking another bite from its newly found kill.

My stomach couldn't take it anymore. The meal I had earlier came up all too fast, splattering onto the tiles below. This caught the creature's attention and it was already moving towards my position.

My stomach weak, I waited for it to come to the table. With all my strength I leapt over the head of the creature, landing on the side of it. I darted away, again on the run from this beast. I came into the hallway to meet the barrel of a gun.

"Get down!" a familiar voice said.

I did what Matt said, dropping to my stomach. The creature came barreling out and met its fate with a 9mm in its face. Matt had to fire a couple of rounds until the beast finally bellowed and keeled over, dead with punctures all over.

Smoke spouted from Matt's gun. It clicked in his massive hands as he reloaded it. "You can stand up now..." I refused to get up at first. My body trembled from the pain, fear, and confusion of everything that was going on. After seeing that I needed help Matt finally lent out a helping hand. I grasped it and he pulled me up easier then I expected. "Looks like you took a nasty fall. You ok? You looked like you've been through a blood bath." he pointed at my head and my red-stained clothes.

"Oh, just bleeding like the Niagara Falls on Old Earth, but I think I'll be fine." I cracked sarcastically. He didn't find it too funny. "What the hell is going on?"

"Some alien species seems to be attacking the colony. I remember reading up about these creatures," Matt passed me and kept walking down the hall. He stepped over all the dead bodies that blocked his path. "The one that you just had a nice gym lesson with was called a 'zergling' I believe."

I picked it up to a jog to catch up to him. "Wait, you mean you know what those bastards are called!?" It confused me to know how it gained suffix "-ling". That was by far the biggest creature I have ever seen in my life.

"Yeah, it was a recent discovery learned by this government. Actually, the scientists have been keeping them in pounds and researching all about them. I also heard there's a lot bigger ones out there, including ones who spit acidic spine needles at you!"

My body froze. "Bigger ones? How the hell can there be 'bigger' ones!?"

"Well, easy. Instead of being 6-8 feet tall they can top up to 10-12 feet. Oh, and don't go spreading it around to civilians. It's supposed to be top secret." He aimed his gun around the corner of the hallway. When he saw it was clear he got back into a normal posture.

"But-" I was cut off by a static transmission. Matt and I scanned the area around us, but found it coming from a small radio from a dead marine under us.

"Squadron three to squadron two, can you read me? The Terran barricade has been built to defend from the incoming Zerg from the east side of the colony. You must retreat yourselves and any living human to the barricade before it is too late. I repeat, a lot of hostile movement is coming from the east, the barricade is located 5 clicks from the location of the air---"

The radio cut off. Matt grabbed it and pressed the button to turn on transmission. "Hello, trainee Stubbs here in Airforce base, can you read me?" Static. "Hello?" More static. "Damn, it's out!"

"So what do we do now, sarge?" I shot sarcastically I continued down the hallway to keep a rotting arm out of my view.

"Didn't you listen to what the guy said? A Terran barricade lays 5 clicks away from this base! If we can get some wheels we can make it there in 10 minutes flat!"

"Well I didn't bring my car here..." I muttered sadly. I regret not driving now.

"Well let's get to the parking lot and see if we can find anything there."

I let Matt lead the way around the place. No matter where we turned there was always a dead body and a lot of blood. Even though all the marines in the area seemed to be dead, they did do an awfully good job in clearing out what they called "Zerg". Matt and I had no trouble in finding the exit without any confrontation from the foul creatures.

Outside wasn't much different from inside. The air was cooler, since all the blood and heat from the inside built up so much that it made you sweat after a minute. The two marines I met earlier were lying torn in half at the entrance to the building. The moon gave me the light I needed to see.

In the distance, in the middle of the parking lot, stood our last hope, a pickup truck. I pointed it out to Matt and he acknowledged, following me. When I got closer I could tell it was beaten up from use. It was an older version of an automobile, having wheels instead of the jet boosters. On the side were words painted: "Bob's Painting Services". And we sure did meet Bob. A grizzly looking old man sat in the driver seat, dead. It didn't look like it was from an attack, though. It looked more like a heart attack. Guess he was lucky out of everyone else here, besides Matt and me....

"I drive," Matt stated. He opened the driver's seat door. "Nice to meet you, Bob. Gotta borrow your truck, hope you don't mind..."

"Hey, don't you think we should keep the body with us? You know, let him have a proper burial?"

Matt stopped what he was doing and looked at me dumbfounded. "Do you see what is going on? I don't think anyone here is going to have a proper burial. There arms will be up their ass in their own coffin 'cause of so many pieces!"

I nodded my head in agreement. Matt hopped into the driver's seat, ready to turn on the car when the ground began to shake. I held onto the door, careful not to slip and fall for the third time now. The ground aside of me began to erupt, crumbles of dirt and rock cracking and separating. Monstrous heads began to rise. The shape was much different of that from the other creatures. When they finally were out of the ground they did stand twice the height of me. They had longer, more slender heads that had a long crease in the middle. The arms were two short scythes, and instead of walking on fours they stood like a half vertical snake. Their mouth had two jaws, one inner and one outer, each lined with hundreds of teeth. For some odd reason though, I felt that I need not to worry about their teeth, but something else..."I guess those are the bigger ones you were talking about?" I exclaimed, still staring at this beast.

"Yeah, get the hell in the car right now!" Just as he said that the beasts' skull split right down the crease of their long heads. Sharp, needle like spears jutted out from their second layer. I gasped and hopped back into the car, slamming the door and closing the window. The car engine revved but gave out. The car's life kept fading, no matter how many times my friend tried turned the key. I stared out the window at the beasts with the split heads. "Duck!" At the command I lowered my upper body behind the side door. The window above me shattered into a million pieces and poured glass down on me. The side of the car groaned as many needles poked right through the skin of the car. I had to edge my way over in the seat to keep from getting stabbed by the needles. When the rain of terror stopped, I poked my head up again to see them re-growing more needles where they just lost them. Matt also lifted his head up and began to turn the ignition.

The car started, humming into life. Matt almost jumped with glee, but remembered the situation we were in. He put the car in drive and slammed on the gas, the next wave of needles missing us. These "Zerg" moved a lot slower then the ones who ran like dogs. We were able to drive right by them without any harm.

"Don't relax now, Justin." Matt announced when he saw me put my guard down. He jerked his head backwards. I turned and looked out the back-window. Hundreds of those zerglings were chasing right behind us. They were catching up faster then I expected.

"Can this thing go any faster?" I had to shout over the loud, rickety engine.

"I'm already going 110! The fastest is 125! I don't know how much more she can take too. Take my gun and try to slow 'em down. Make the shots count, that's the last clip!" I grasped the small gun in my hand. I rolled down the window and poked my head out. I aimed with one eye, picking out the one that was coming too close for comfort. Just as I pulled the trigger the truck rattled over a bump and slammed my head onto the roof of the window. I screamed loudly from the blow. It seemed to have hit my weak spot. I lost grip of the gun, watching it shatter into pieces and disappear in the distance. I pulled myself back in the car.

"Uh, Matt?"

"You wasted all the ammo already?" he yelled angrily.

"Well, you could sort of say that. I kinda...well...dropped the gun."

He shot me a dirty glance for a second. "Well pick it up!"

"No, out the window..."

"....You Idiot!"

We both checked our side view mirrors to see the brown bobbing heads of the zerglings right behind us. I growled in frustration. My foot tapped something hard, metal-like. I glimpsed down and saw a few cans of paint on the floor. "I got an idea, keep driving!"

"Like I could do anything else..." he grumbled.

I poked my head out yet again from the car window with the paint in my right arm. The zergling was right at the tail of the truck, making him an easy target. I chucked the container right in the gruesome face of the zergling. It screeched in pain as yellow paint splattered all over it's body. It lost its footing and did a tumble roll, falling behind and knocking other zerglings over in his wake.

"Score!"

"Well don't stop, keeping going!" Matt said in a more relieved tone.

I chucked can after can at the on coming Zerg, knocking hundreds down to be trampled by their own kin. But there were only so much spare cans in the truck itself. The rest were in the back, in the bed. When all of my "ammo" was gone, there were still quite a few Zerg trailing us. It was like a pack of wild buffalo. So many were following us that a gray shade of dust was kicked up behind them as they ran.

"Whatever you do, don't jerk the car too fast" Matt gave me a confused expression, but before I let him retaliate I pulled myself out on to the roof of the car. The wind made my clothes and hair whip wildly. My eyes squinted from the force of the gust, making it hard to see. I took baby steps towards the bed of the truck, making a trail of dents from my weight. When I got to the edge I swiftly jumped into the bed, scraping my knees.

_There was enough paint here to last a bunker of people in hiding,_ I thought. I seized a can of purple paint in my hand and looked at the mass of creatures. _So many zerglings, so little time..._

One lone one was catching up faster then the rest. I cocked my arm back and thrusted it with all my force. The can spiraled, bashing in the monster's nose. It shrieked and disappeared into the horde of monsters.

"Justin, watch out for the hills!" I heard Matt's faint voice.

I looked up to my right. In the city from the roads you could see the giant hills that would block out the sun from certain vantage points. From over the hills came what looked like giant flying bats. They had gigantic, purple wings with a long orange body. The body was curved where the tail of the beast was actually over its head. The tongue hung loosely out from its mouth, giving demonic cries to its comrades. I couldn't tell where the eyes were, except maybe from the tail end where two pointy needles stuck out. It caught site of our truck and started closing in. I counted three.

I got into the prone position, but kept a close eye. Their mouths jutted open wide; releasing what it seemed a tiny boomerang. The "boomerang" flew down towards the truck, just whizzing over my head. It hit the truck multiple times, leaving permanent scars in the metal layer. When the boomerangs finished their damage, they oddly went back to their carriers. That was when I realized that their weaponry they were spewing out was actually a live animal!

Just thinking about it wanted to make me throw up again. Luckily I was un-touched. One was flying right above my head, looking like it spotted me out in the bed. I clutched onto a can and popped up, throwing it full force into the winged beast. It cried out its last scream, its wing tearing off. I watched it flutter recklessly a couple of times until it smashed into the ground and got trampled.

Another came swooping down towards me. I went to grab the next can, but only swiped the air. I glanced down and saw that all my weapons were gone. I looked at the horde behind the truck to see that they were only about 15 feet away from over-running us. I closed my eyes thinking that this might be the end.

Gun shots pierced the air. Blood poured out from the flying creature's body. It crumbled into the bed of the truck right next to me in a bloody, torn mess. I rushed my back against the truck to avoid being smacked with it. The wing gave one last sign of life before it faded forever from its body.

Tanks blasted shells behind our trucks. I took cover inside the bed, the explosions knocking dirt into the air and raining down on my back. When I looked back up I saw a bunch of marines running around to man this newly built barricade. Tanks lined up across the border of two buildings, firing shells into the ground. Three beaten bunkers held heavy MG stands for marines, allowing them to deal damage without receiving it. The zerglings attempted to dash up and scratch at the bunker, but ended up turning into a bloody rag doll. After what seemed like hours of gun firing and zerg deaths, the creatures finally retreated to where they came from.

Matt came from the driver's side and flinched at the sight of the bat creature. I hastily hopped out from the bed to get away from it. A marine strolled up to me, eyed the dead beast, and gave me a nod. "Orders from the general are to take all civilians for questioning. So before you go home, come with me." He also gestured to Matt to follow him.

We were taken to a nearby building. The air-conditioning cooled my sweaty body. We were brought into a fancy room at the end of the hallway. The marine walked in and saluted at the back of a chair. "General Duke, sir, the survivors are here for your questioning just like you ordered, sir!"

"Dismissed, private" a stern voice called out from the chair. The marine swiftly passed us and exited out the door. The chair spun around to reveal a middle-aged man. He had very round features, being huskily built for his age. His hair was graying from what seemed like black hair. He was clean shaven and well presentable, but his posture gave off arrogance and pride. His eyes narrowed on Matt and I as he started "Only two survivors?"

"Yes, sir!" Matt shouted. I kept quiet, this military stuff was new to me.

"Well, I am very disappointed to find that only a civilian and a trainee was able to make it alive. It seems like our men aren't getting the proper training they are needed to survive in a war-like situation." He stood up slowly with his hands cupped behind him. He walked around his desk and stridden to Matt first. He inspected Matt's facial features, then his clothes and then his shoes. "Are you a private, son?"

"No, sir! An air pilot trainee sir!"

"Well I am very impressed with you, boy. I will put in a good word in to where you're going, the Tarsonis air base, the best of the finest, son. You seem to be able to handle well in these situations, to bring back a survivor and all on such a short notice. What is your name?"

"Trainee Matthew Stubbs sir!"

He turned and came to me. He was much taller that when I looked straight at him I could only see his chin. I could smell his lunch off his breath, tuna fish..."And what is your name?"

"Uh, Justin Schilling..."

His tone darkened. "I don't care if you're a soldier or not, boy. If you want to address me you give me the proper respect. Always end with sir. Now let's try that again. What is your name?"

"Justin Schilling, sir" I replied blatantly. I felt retarded.

"That's better. Now explain to me what happened." He turned and began to pace to his desk.

"I don't really know, sir. I just was visiting my friend here and the Zerg-"

"How did you know the name of the creatures!?" His tone rose for the first time.

Startled, I replied. "Rumor, sir." I could hear Matt sigh out of relief.

"Well, make sure that rumor stops, ok? Justin, you are dismissed. Matt, at ease."

I turned and walked out, leaving my friend behind. The marine that escorted me in gave me a ride in the jeep, bringing me to the house. I was relieved to see that it was untouched.

When I entered I found both my parents in the living room. They were sitting on the couch, my mom's face buried into my dad's shoulder. It took me a moment to realize she was weeping. My dad looked up at me with concerned, sad eyes. I stopped and looked all over but couldn't find Marc anywhere. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"It's your brother, Justin" my mother sobbed. "He was taken to go into Ghost training...."


End file.
